There’s nothing to be worried about if your newborn is looking yellow, because most of the newborn babies have mild jaundice which is no danger at all. Jaundice is a yellow discoloration of the skin and the white part (the sclera) of the eyes. For most babies, jaundice usually resolves without treatment within one to two weeks. For babies who require treatment, the treatment is also quite effective. But if it’s severe then sometimes even the baby’s blood can be replaced with fresh blood. However, recent studies have shown that such severe cases can be treated with intravenous immunoglobulin, which is very effective at reducing the bilirubin levels to safe ranges.
Why is jaundice common in newborns?
Jaundice is caused due to having too much of a substance called bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is formed when the body breaks down old red blood cells. Everyone’s blood contains bilirubin, which is removed by the liver. Before birth, the mother’s liver does this for the baby. Most babies develop jaundice in the first few days after birth because it takes a few days for the baby’s liver to get better at removing bilirubin. The liver usually processes and removes the bilirubin from the blood. Jaundice in babies usually occurs because their immature livers are not efficient at removing bilirubin from the bloodstream.
How can you know if your baby is jaundiced?
As we know, the skin of a baby with jaundice usually appears yellow, and that’s also sometimes not very easy to identify. The best way to see jaundice is in good light, such as daylight or under fluorescent lights. Jaundice usually appears first in the face and then moves to the chest, abdomen, arms, and legs as the bilirubin level increases. The whites of the eyes may also be yellow. Jaundice may be harder to recognize if your baby’s skin is relatively dark in color.
How to take care at home?
In case of physiological jaundice no specific therapy is required. The infant should be watched for any complications or a sudden increase in the jaundice. Keep the baby well hydrated with breast milk or formula. Encourage frequent bowel movements by feeding frequently. This is because bilirubin is carried out of the body by the intestines in the stools.
Simply putting the baby in the sun for half an hour or so in the morning & evening is sufficient. Care though must be taken to avoid putting the baby in too strong a sunlight and for too long because then the baby can become dehydrated quickly and also can get sun burnt.
When to go to the hospital?
If your child appears ill to you (if he or she is refusing to eat, seems excessively sleepy, or has floppy arms and legs or seems to be having difficulty breathing) or has a temperature of 100.4°F or higher, you should rush to your hospital’s emergency department.
Examinations and Tests
All newborns should be examined for jaundice at least every 8 to 12 hours for the first day of life. Any infant who appears jaundiced in the first 24 hours should have bilirubin levels measured immediately. This can be done with a skin or blood test.
Babies should be assigned a risk for later developing jaundice before they leave the hospital. Doctors get hourly bilirubin levels done to predict a baby’s odds of later developing jaundice. They classify babies as low risk, low intermediate risk, high intermediate risk, or high risk depending on their bilirubin levels. Many hospitals do this by routinely checking total bilirubin levels on all babies at about 24 hours of age.
Further testing varies on the infant's specific situation and test results. For example, the possible cause of the jaundice should be sought for babies who require treatment or whose total bilirubin levels are rising more rapidly than expected.
Tests that will likely be done include:
- Complete blood count
- Coomb's test
- Measurement of levels of specific types of bilirubin
- Reticulocyte count
Serum albumin levels may also be checked. Because bilirubin travels in the blood attached to albumin when possible, low albumin levels may increase the risk of damage from excessive jaundice.
Prevention
In most cases, jaundice is not preventable.
- The best way to avoid jaundice is to make sure your baby is getting enough fluids.
- If you are breastfeeding your child and have any questions or concerns, speak to a lactation consultant. Many hospitals provide this service.
- If you have not received formal training in infant or child CPR and you have children at home, contact your local American Heart Association chapter to enroll in a class as soon as possible.
